The Irish standard., 1887-05-07
THE TOWER OF ST. MICHAEL
One of the Earliest Ecclesiastical Sites to
be Found Within or Nearly Adjoin-
ing the City Of Dublin.
THE ANCIENT "BELL-H0USEs.'

I0c ANVIENI DCLl.0UUoLOs
The Towers of Ireland Have Long Attract
ed the Attention of Antiquarian
Writers.
In 1882 the parish of st. Michael lie
Pole, and a portion of St. Stephens
were united to that of ST.. Brides by
the Dean and Chapter of st. Patrick's,
which body, in minute of the 25th Of
September of that year, styled them
selves "the parsons and undoubted pat
rons of those parishes"
The old church would seem to have
been forthwith dismantled, and left to
ruin. 1t is probable that the date of
the original foundation of the fabric of
St. Michael lie Poles cannot now, or in
the future, be ascertained with any de-
gree of certainty; but certain it is that
this locality must be considered as one
of the earliest ecclesiastical sites to be
found within or nearly adjoining the
city of Dublin.
At present not a vestige of the primi-
tive structure can be traced, and only a
portion of the ancient cemetery re-
mains uncovered by modern buildings.
1t is remarkable how little has been re-.
corded concerning this foundation,
which must, at time, perhaps centur-
les older than the period of the first
Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland
have been place of no inconsiderable
Importance. That it was so is sufi-
ciently proved by the recent existence
of one of the celebrated round towers Of
Ireland, which was most wantonly
pulled down in the year 1881, lest, in
falling, it might cause injury to neigh
boring edifces. These towers. which
are numerous all over the country, and
of which the county of Dublin pos
sesses no fewer than three examples
(those of Clondalkin, Lusk, and
Swords), and at Rathmichael, near
Loughlinstown, the lower part of a
fourth have long attracted the atten-
tion of antiquarian writer's, who, al
though widely differing in opinion as to
their origin, uses, and date, are unan-
imous in assigning very early age to
that class of building. They would
seem to haye been first described by
Ge1aldus Cambrensis, who fourished
about seven hundred years ago.
This writer was a Norman from
Wales, and came over here as secretary
to John, son Of Henry the Second.
John was subsequently King of Eng
land, and was also styled Lord of Ire
land. Geraldus Cambrensis, otherwise
Geral Barry, was one of the most
learned men of his day. He penned a
work on the subject Of this country
which may be considered our pre1nier
guide book. In that exhaustive essay
he classes our round towers among
ecclesiastical edifces, built latter the
manner of the country, high and
round.'' 1t was an old tradition in his
time "that Lough Neagh had been
originally fountain, by whose sudden
overflowing the country was inundated,
and whole region, like the Alianis of
Plato, overwhelmed. The fishermen in
clear weather used to point out to
strangers the tall ecclesiastical towers
under the water.'' Succeeding writers
had severally assumed that these gen.
orally supposed mysterious structures
were built in the dim ages of Pagan
ism as celestial in1exes, Buddhist tenn
pies, hero monuments, auchOrite re-
treats, receptacles for sacred fires, &C.,
&c. Some even distributed them to
the Phenicinns! BY one truly learned
and we'll known author pamphlet
was written and published, the argu-
ment was of which that no structure as
the round towers in question could be
found in Ireland! He probably had in
mind the celebrated paper of Arch
bishop Whately, in which it was logi-
cally attempted to be proved that such
as Napoleon 1. Was simply myth, a
fancy of mems minds! Whether the
antiquary and the Archbishop who act
uated by a deeper feeling than their
words expressed when penning their
respective essays, I leave to considera-
tion of the curious. But, nevertheless,
onr round towers are palpable facts,
and, in connection with the wolf-dog,
shamrock and harp, form leading fea-
lures in the aims OF Ireland as adopted
by popular heraldry.
Seeing that Dublin possessed at least
one of these buildings it may be not
out of place here to present the general
opinion Of modern antiquaries in ref
erepce to their origin and uses.
Until very lately the theories promul-
gated concerning them were, it may be
said, nearly as numerous as the towers
themselves. DR.. Petrie, in his exhaus7
tive work on the ecclesiastical architec.
ture of Ireland, has earned the credit of
showing that while the savants eof this
and Of other countries were contending
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